The Hardest Part
by JamesPotterwasntaseeker
Summary: Just when things seemed to be at their best, tragedy strikes. Draco may lose everything he worked hard to attain. Will everything be all right in the end?
1. I

**Author's note:** Hello. This idea kind of popped into my head last night and I couldn't resist writing it. I hope you enjoy it.

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><p><strong>The Hardest Part<strong>

Draco felt helpless standing there with his face pressed to the glass. His wife was in the room that he was trying to peer into. When the healers saw that he was looking through the glass, banging on it with all his might, they hurriedly closed the blinds.

It had been twenty minutes-twenty heart wrenching minutes that felt like a millennia to him-since he saw his wife. He didn't understand what had happened. They were just fine twenty minutes ago. They had been enjoying the day together and then something that Draco couldn't even wrap his brain around happened.

Draco stared at his own reflection as he continued to press his forehead against the cool glass. He already looked incredibly tired. Dried tear streaks marred his cheeks. And his eyes were full of worry. He looked like he aged thirty years over the course of a half hour. A year for every minute.

As Draco waited for whatever news the healer could give him on Hermione's condition, he thought about what had happened.

_Her laugh filled the room as it always did these days. He was sitting beside her absentmindedly stroking her hand with the pad of his thumb that was rest next to his. Draco loved the way her eyes would scrunch up and her head would fly back when she really laughed. It made him happy that he could cause such a reaction in her._

_Her laughter died down into small giggles and her brown eyes opened and sought out his. She wiped at the tears that were currently coming down from the corners of her eyes. Draco gave her a smile and she grinned back at him. _

"_You know, you're cute when you smile." She told him as she reached out and stroked his cheek._

"_I am not cute, adorable, or any other adjective that would make me seem _soft_, Granger." He told her matter of factly._

_Draco still called her by her maiden name. It was a habit he would never break. _

"_Whatever you say," she told him as she smiled at him, "you know—"_

_But she didn't get to finish her statement. Hermione just stopped speaking and seemed to be staring at nothing. _

"_Granger? Hermione? What's wrong?" Draco asked as he moved to squat in front of her._

_She didn't answer. He could see her body start to shake and then her eyes, blank and void of any sign of emotion, rolled to the back of her head. Draco placed Hermione's face between his hands. _

"_Hermione, Love, come back. Come back!"_

_The panic in his voice and motions weren't helping the situation. He needed to get help. He stood swiftly and placed his arms under her knees and under her shoulders and lifted her easily into his arms. He knew he couldn't apparate with her, so he trudged towards the fireplace._

_He shifted her a bit in his arms and grabbed a fist full of Floo powder and called out St. Mungo's as clear as he could. When the swirling stopped and he stepped out of fireplace in the hospital, he made his way to the main desk._

"_I need help!" He said without preamble._

_The receptionist looked up at him lazily. "Fill out the forms and wait."_

"_No! You listen to me, my wife…she needs help _now_! Now get off your lazy arse and get me a healer!" He bellowed._

_The blonde's eyes widened and she scrambled from her seat and scurried around the corner. _

_Draco looked down at Hermione. All he could see were the whites of her eyes and the veins. Her mouth was agape and he could hear her raspy breath. Draco wondered what was taking that nurse so long. He was sure to have the bitch fired. He turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. _

"_Everything will be all right, Hermione. I promise you. Everything. Will. Be. Fine."_

_Draco could hear the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them. The receptionist was walking behind two healers. One had a gurney and the other was holding a clipboard._

_The healer with the gurney stopped in front of Draco and took out his wand. He waved it once and Hermione floated from Draco's arms to the awaiting gurney. The two healers looked at her and immediately rushed her back to the ER. Draco was hot on their heels._

_When they reached the door to the room, he tried to follow them in, but they shut the doors behind them. So he quickly ran over to the window that let him see into the room. He banged on the window with closed fists._

"_LET ME IN!" He screamed to them. _"_LET ME IN! LET ME BE WITH MY WIFE! LET ME…BE WITH HER, please." He whispered the last part._

_That's when the healer with the clipboard looked up and closed to blinds in his face. _

Draco was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone calling his name. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he almost jumped out of his skin. Draco turned around and was greeted by a pair of clear blue eyes.

"Mr. Malfoy?" The healer asked.

Draco nodded. He didn't trust his voice to answer.

"Hermione Granger is your wife, correct?"

Draco nodded again. "H-how is s-she?" His voice sounded raw and quiet to his own ears.

He watched the healer's face. His forehead puckers and his mouth grew into a tight line. Apparently it wasn't good.

"We'll have to start surgery soon, if you want the baby to live."

"And Hermione?" Draco asked desperately.

"I don't know yet, Mr. Malfoy. She could either go into a coma or she could…"

Draco felt faint. He didn't want to think about the other option. "What happened to her?"

"She had a seizure."

Draco didn't understand how this man was telling him about his family's possible impending death so calmly. He wanted to punch the man. Didn't he understand that Draco could possibly lose everything he holds dear to his heart in one foul swoop?

"Can I see her?" Draco was beyond desperate at this point.

"Not yet. I only came out here to tell you that we're going to start surgery to get the baby out and what the possible outcomes could be. You can see her afterwards."

_If she survives_, Draco thought bitterly.

Draco wasn't happy about this arrangement, but he had no other choice. He took one longing look at the door that he knew his family was behind before he looked at the healer again.

"You can go to the private waiting room for the ward and someone will come collect you when everything is over."

Draco simply gave him another nod walked in the direction of the waiting room. When he reached the room, he sat heavily on the couch and let his head fall back.

His whole world could be gone in an instant. Draco felt like everything was happening too soon. They were only twenty six. They had only been married for three years. Three years isn't enough time to be with her. He felt that this was a cruel joke that god, if there was one, was playing on him. He had finally got his act together and then she came into his life.

_It had been such a great day. It was so vivid that he _couldn't_ forget it if he wanted to. _

_He had been minding his own business in Flourish & Blotts when someone ran into him. He dropped the book that he had been skimming through. He quickly bent over and grabbed it._

"_Oh, Merlin! I'm so sorry…"_

"_It's all right. Granger?" Draco asked as he raised an eyebrow at her._

_Her cheeks pinked instantly. "Malfoy." She said by way of greeting._

_Draco didn't know what to say to her. She was avoiding his gaze and he couldn't help but stare at her. In the year and a half that he hadn't seen her, she seemed to have changed physically. Her hair was still frizzy, but a lot more manageable than it had ever been, except the Yule Ball. She didn't wear such baggy clothes as she did when they were at Hogwarts. He noticed she had a nice body, she wasn't stick thin, and she actually had curves. _

"_Well, sorry again. I-I should be going." She told him as she wheeled around and was about to dart around the corner when Draco called her back._

"_Granger."_

_She turned her head to look at him. "Yes?"_

"_I think we should…have lunch or a drink sometime." What was he even doing?_

_She looked at him for a moment. He could see that she was trying to read him, see if his intentions were noble._

"_This isn't a trick of any kind. I promise. I want to…turn over a new leaf with you. Apologize about everything." And he was telling her the truth. He did want to apologize and remove the silly notation that he wasn't the prejudiced boy he was years ago. He stopped being the boy long before anyone really knew. He just had to keep up appearances for appearances sake._

"_All right. What are you doing right now?"_

_Draco couldn't help but let the smile that was threatening to spread across his face to actually show. "Nothing at all. I know a small bistro a few blocks from here, if you're interested."_

"_Sounds good…" She said nervously._

_And lunch had been a bit awkward at first, but she eventually let a few barriers down and they actually had fun. They laughed. They talked. They cleared a lot of things up. It was actually…good. He was glad he went with his impulse to ask her to start over. It was like Fate. And only a year later Draco would smile thinking about that day. It had been the start to the best thing that had happened to him and his new life._

And the best thing that had happened to him may be gone. Gone where he couldn't get it back. If Hermione…died, he wouldn't be able to get her back. He wouldn't be able to follow her. He had someone else to think about besides himself.

Their unborn child…what would happen to it if it survived and its mother didn't? He or she would never know her. Draco didn't know how he felt raising their child without her. He would always have a little piece of her, but it wouldn't be the same. She would miss all of its firsts. She may not be there.

He had to stop his racing thoughts. He couldn't think about the what ifs. Hermione may survive this. She may just be in a coma, but she would still be alive. He would still be able to see her.

Draco felt it necessary to contact everyone closest to Hermione. That included the Potters, Weasleys, and his mother. His mother had taken to Hermione without much of a fuss. She was a bit reserved at first, but she quickly warmed to the Muggle-born. Lucius was still serving his time in Azkaban prison. Draco was sure his father knew about his marriage and his child that was on its way, but there was nothing he could do about it. His sentence had been severely reduced thanks to Potter, but he was still to serve ten years.

When he and Hermione had first told her friends that they were together, it didn't go over well. And Draco wasn't surprised. He had expected it all along. She had reassured him that her friends would see reason, but he knew these people for many years and knew they wouldn't believe her when she tried to tell them that Draco had changed.

After many arguments and stare downs, they finally decided to be cordial. It was difficult for the spectacled git and his sidekick to learn what civility was, but they finally caught on. They weren't friends. Draco would never be friends with them and vice versa. He rather die than become friends with them. So they remained civil for Hermione's sake.

But today, today he needed everyone and that was just what he was going to do. Painstakingly Draco made fire calls to everyone he knew that cared about Hermione. They all agreed to come to the hospital and be there to be some sort of support.

The first person to come through the fireplace was his mother. Her face was a mask of concern. Draco stood and looked at the only woman to show him love throughout his childhood and let her hug him. And it almost surprised her that he hugged her back. They didn't say anything to one another, but that hug was everything to him.

Next to come out of the fireplace were Harry and Luna. Draco had seen the blonde girl a lot over the years since she and Potter were now together. Draco felt that she was a better fit than the She-Weasley. He didn't know much about them, but what he heard from Hermione's ranting, he could see the appeal.

Potter turned his green gaze to Draco's grey and walked over to him. "How are they?"

Those three words were enough to open the wound in Draco's heart even wider. "Not good. They are trying to save the baby now."

"And Hermione?" Potter pressed.

Draco could feel his throat closing around the words that he didn't want to utter. He cleared his throat and went on anyway. "It's all up in the air."

Saying those words combined with the looks his mother, Potter, and Lovegood were currently giving him were enough to send him over the edge, again. Draco averted his eyes from the three set that were boring into his.

The fireplace came to life once more and out came Ron Weasley. His face pale, his blue eyes looking around the room.

"What happened?" He asked.

All eyes traveled back to Draco. Draco could feel their stares, but he didn't look at them. He turned his back to them and told them what had happened. They stayed quiet as he retold the short story. When he was done, he could feel the prickle in his eyes that told him he was on the verge of tears, but he blinked his eyes several times before he turned to the small group.

"I think she'll be ok." Came Luna Lovegood's unearthly voice.

Draco didn't say anything nor did anyone else.

"She's a strong woman. I know she'll fight." She continued.

Draco had never agreed with the girl in his life. He always thought her to be strange, but over the years he grew to tolerate her. She was a bit loony, but at times like this, her loony, over optimistic statements were something he needed to hear. He would never admit it of course.

As time passed, everyone but Draco sat down to wait for news from the healers. Draco paced back and forth. He knew if he sat still then everything, his thoughts, emotions, would converge on him and he'd break down completely. To keep his mind at bay, he kept his feet moving.

After what felt like a lifetime, but was only two hours, a healer came into the private waiting room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the man.

"Mr. Malfoy?" He called.

Draco strode over to the man in white and waited for what was to come.

"The surgery is complete. Your child is alive and well. We're checking over him now."

His _son_ was alive and healthy. He had a son. He had told Hermione from the very beginning that it would be a boy.

"_Malfoys always have males first. We're not going to break such a long tradition just because I married a Muggle-born." He had told her._

"_Yes, but you broke tradition by marrying me, a Muggle-born. What makes you think that you won't break another?" She asked him as a smile slowly spread across her face._

"_Because I just know these things, Granger." _

"Mr. Malfoy?" The healer was calling his name.

He snapped out of the memory and looked at the man standing in front of him. "What was that?"

"Your wife is alive," Draco was ready to run past the man to get to her, but his next words stopped him, "but she's in a coma."

Hermione was alive, but she was in a coma. A coma. She was alive though, but not _alive_.

"For how long?" Draco asked his voice raspy with suppressed emotion.

"We aren't sure at this time. Would you like to see your son?"

Draco gave a curt nod and then looked back at the small group. They all gave him a nod to tell him to go. He turned back towards to the healer and followed him slowly.

He had a son. A son that he had prepared for, but not one he prepared for without her. His feelings were a jumbled mess. His insides were in utter disarray. He was happy that his son was alive and healthy. He was excited to meet this tiny person that he helped create. He was anguished that his wife wasn't _there_ to meet him as well. He just wanted his life back.

He wondered as he walked down the long hallway and around a corner if this was some sort of karma for all of the terrible things he did. Life was cruel. He thought he paid for everything dreadful in his life when he took the mark and tried to protect his family. He thought he was doing well when he met Hermione again after the war and they connected and she forgave him. But Draco figured he wasn't done paying for everything.

The healer stopped in front of a door and took out his wand and tapped the handle. They heard the door unlock and the healer opened it. He let Draco go in first. The room was small, yet comfortable. Another healer was already in the room. She seemed to be writing something down. When they entered the room completely, she looked up and made for the exit.

A bassinet was in the middle of the room. Draco's legs felt like lead as he made his way over to it. When he reached it, he reached out a shaking hand for the side of it and curled his fingers over the side. Inside was a tiny baby swathed in white blanket. He looked to be sleeping and all Draco could do was stare.

His son.

"You can pick him up, if you like."

Draco jumped. He forgot the healer was still in the room. Draco scooted closer to the bassinet and slowly lowered his arms down into it and securely grabbed the baby and positioned him correctly into his arms. As if on cue, the baby opened his eyes and looked at Draco before he broke into a wail.

Draco felt alarmed. He looked at the healer for possible help.

"He's probably hungry. I'll go grab a bottle for him. I'll be right back." He said before he disappeared behind the door, leaving Draco alone with his son.

Draco sat down in the solitary chair in the room and tried to quiet the wailing baby. He looked at his features. He had his mother's eyes, chocolate brown that would surely look amber in the sun. he had Draco's nose as well as his hair. He was beautiful; there was no other way to describe him.

He didn't hear when the healer returned. He only knew he was there when he saw the bottle in front of his face. He gently took it from him and nervously put it in front of his son. The baby latched onto it almost immediately.

"I'll give you a moment."

Draco didn't answer or look up when the healer left. He was too engrossed in his son to worry about anything else.

As he watched him drink from the bottle, he could feel himself starting to love the child already. He looked so much like his mother with little bits of himself thrown in there that it would be hard _not_ to love him. Draco knew that he would do anything for him. He promised himself long ago that he wouldn't be anything like his father.

His father meant well, Draco knew, but the thing was was that his father went out it the wrong way. Lucius wanted everything in the world to be right for Draco and Narcissa. He thought pledging his allegiance to the Dark Lord and believing and putting everything into the cause, things would be better for them in the long run. But power always drives anyone over the edge. And Lucius wanted nothing but to have enough power and prestige under his belt to make the best possible life for his family. When he fell from the Dark Lord's good graces, he gave the only thing he could gamble with, his family, his home, and his sanity.

And Draco vowed to never sacrifice that he couldn't live without. He would never use his family as a means to get ahead. His family came first and nothing would change that. And looking at his sleeping son in his arms reaffirmed his belief. He would do anything to protect him from anything that would harm him.

The healer came back a half hour later. "Mr. Malfoy, have you thought of a name for your son? We need to know so we can finish his birth certificate."

Draco and Hermione had picked a name out for a boy and a girl. He told Hermione they didn't need a name for a girl simply because he was a hundred percent sure that they weren't having a girl.

"_That is incredibly rude!"_

"_It is not. I just know we aren't having a girl."_

"_Well, I like the name Arella Elizabeth."_

"_It's not bad."_

"_And what if it's a boy then, oh mighty Seer?" She teased._

"_You're really not funny right now, but I like the name Caelum."_

_Hermione seemed to be thinking it over. "It's not bad. What about his middle name then?"_

"_Obviously my name."_

"_Caelum Draco Malfoy?"_

"_Yes. I have my father's first name as my middle name. It's—"_

"—_tradition. I know."_

"_So Caelum Draco?"_

"_Caelum Draco."_

_Draco beamed at her._

"Yes. His name is Caelum Draco Malfoy."

The healer nodded and left the room once again.

Draco turned his attention back to his son. "Hello Caelum."

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><p>I know, a bit depressing. There will be a part II. So yeah, tell me what you think.<p> 


	2. II

**Part II**

After Draco visited their son, he made the walk to Hermione's room. It felt like the longest walk of his life. But he made it anyway. He needed to see her.

The blinds were still drawn when he finally made it to her door. He hesitated for a long time. Did he really want to see her like that? Hooked up to machines and unable to answer him? He didn't want to remember her like this, but he needed to see her. He needed to talk to her, even if she couldn't answer him, but she could hear him—he hoped. He took s deep breath and put his hand on the handle and opened the door.

The room was bright and white. It was a large room that could hold two or three patients. As his eyes took in the room, they finally landed on her. A machine was hooked through her nose and another was hooked to her index finger. Other than that, she looked completely normal. And Draco couldn't be happier.

With three strides he was from the door to the side of her bed. He just stood there and looked at her bushy brown hair that still wasn't tamed after all these years. But he liked it like that, all wild and curly. Her face was serene. Draco held up a shaky hand and gently placed it on her cheek. He barely touched it as he made his way down her face.

His hand trailed down her chin and then stopped. It just hovered there not knowing what else to do. He sat down in the chair next to her bed. He continued to stare at her. It was unfair. They were just laughing and talking mere hours ago. They were just fine and then…everything went to rot. It wasn't fair.

Draco scooted to the end of his chair and placed his hand on her forearm. He lightly traced circles upon it.

"Hermione, I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I hope you can. I feel like I just got you and already things are going to hell. I refuse to think that anything bad will happen, well worse than they already are. I love you and I love Caelum already. I told you I would win. You didn't believe me, but I told you. I told you every first born Malfoy is a male," Draco smile as he felt the tears well up in his eyes. "But that's what I love about you. You're so bloody headstrong and you believe in yourself so much. I always envied that when we were in school, _always_. And that's what made me love you. You never gave up on me no matter how much I pushed you away. You came right back. It pissed me off, yeah, but I'm glad you came back. I'm forever grateful. And I think this is my chance to do the same. I will _never_ give up on you. I will always come back for you. Mother's here. So are Potter, Weasley, and Looney. I know how much you hate me calling her that, but I'll do anything that will make you yell at me again. I miss it. I miss you. Caelum needs his mum. He's beautiful, Granger. He has your eyes, your beautiful eyes, but of course he looks like me. So come back to me, no us. Come back to us, Granger. We need you. Caelum needs you. _I_ need you. Be the strong and confident woman I know you are and wake up," Draco finished as his voice cracked and the tears started to freely fall from his eyes.

He stood up and kissed Hermione on the cheek, both eyelids, on the forehead, and then briefly on the lips. As he straightened up, he looked down at his wife before he headed back to the people waiting on him.

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><p>Three days have passed and Draco had come to take Caelum home. He had been at the hospital day after day visiting his son and his wife. He couldn't part with either one of them. Her friends also came to visit almost every day as well.<p>

He had hated those people so much during his school days, but now they were people he needed to lean on. It was a strange turn of events. But he was grateful for them all. He knew that Hermione would be as well. He had let them all see Caelum as well. They instantly loved him. Potter would make little statements about how much he looked like Draco, but other than that he was taken with the little boy.

Before Draco left for the day, he wanted to visit Hermione. With Caelum securely in his arms, he opened the door and walked over to his usual chair.

"I'm back again, Granger. I can never stay away for too long. I wanted you to finally meet our son. I've been talking about him nonstop and I can finally let you meet him. If only you'd open those eyes I'm so found of so you can see him for yourself. He's so healthy and beautiful. I know you'd love him as soon as you lay your eyes on him. I can't stay long. I just wanted to stop by and show you him, hoping you'd open your eyes for us. I'll be back tomorrow. I love you," Draco said as he stood and kissed her face before turning and leaving.

And that's how it went; day by day Draco would visit Hermione and talk to her. He'd tell her about what was going on with Caelum, his mother, her friends, and him. Each time he would coax her to wake up and open her eyes, but to no avail. When he had to leave, he would kiss her like he had the first day he had to leave her and go home to their son.

Three years went by and Draco visited the hospital every single day. He continued his routine. His hope for her to wake up slowly dwindling. He would bring Caelum sometimes, but most of the time it was just him. Her friends and his mother would stop by. Draco hated that her parents weren't there to see her. They were still in Australia with their memories modified. He knew where they were at, but she was the only one that could undo their charm. She never got to go see them because of the war and recovery from the _Crucio_ curse. She soon became pregnant after that. It had been a mess. She promised that as soon as the baby was born she was going to go to them and hopefully reverse the spell. But if she never woke up again, her parents would forever be lost and never know about their amazing daughter and their grandson.

When Draco was about to leave, a nurse came in.

"Mr. Malfoy, may I speak to you?" She asked.

He nodded and headed outside of the room.

"I would like to talk to you about your wife's state of health."

Fear gripped him with that one sentence. "Go on."

"Her brain is slowly starting to shut down. She's suffered 30% of damage already. If she continues to go down this path, she'll be completely brain dead in a year. And the options you have are to let her go or keep her on the machines until her brain completely shuts down."

Draco looked at the nurse, wide-eyed and fearful. Let her go? _Let her go?_ The little detail rattling around his brain, echoing from every surface. If he didn't let her go, she'd be dead in a year. She'd be gone either way. Draco felt the sting of tears as well as nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt his knees buckle.

"Mr. Malfoy! You need to sit down," the nurse said as she ran to grab a chair.

I'm fine. I need to go home."

"But we need an answ—"

Draco cut her off. "Let me think about it!" He said as he turned and walked away from her to the best of his legs' ability.

When Draco came through the floo to the Manor, he immediately collapsed into a chair. His breathing was ragged and his forehead was clammy. He felt like he was dying.

"Draco? Draco, what's wrong?" He heard his mother call him.

He opened his mouth, but shut it again. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't talk. He felt like his throat and tongue were both swollen.

"Draco?" His mother tried again as she knelt in front of him.

He shook his head over and over again as tears slid down his face. He couldn't let her go.

"What's wrong, darling?"

"They want m-me to make a d-decision," he sputtered out.

"About what?" Narcissa said soothingly.

"About t-taking her off of life support or just letting her di-die," he said quietly as more tears spilled from his eyes.

"What? Why?"

"Her b-brain is starting to s-s-shut down."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry, Draco," Narcissa said as she hugged him. Draco didn't return the hug. He just sat there and felt numb.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said sounding like a small child again.

"Think about it for a bit. If you need help, you should talk to her friends about it. That might help you decide."

"Maybe."

They lapsed into silence.

"Where's Caelum?"

"He's taking a nap right now."

"Thank you for everything, mother," Draco told her as he finally hugged her back.

"Anything for the three of you. You're my family and I would do anything for you."

Draco sat back and stood from his seat. He gave his mum one last look before he walked to the room that his son usually slept in when he stayed over. Draco opened the door and walked over to the bed. His blond hair that was starting to turn a darker shade of blond was lying on his stomach with his fingers curled under his head.

Draco sat on the bed and stroked his soft hair. By the third stroke, the tears returned. He would never get to know his mum the way everyone else got to. He would hear stories about her and read about her in books, but he would never get to know Hermione. Draco lay down next to him and curled around him. He had a lot to think about, but for the moment he would lay down and cherish his son.

* * *

><p>It was the day he had to make his decision. He had talked to everyone about it and it was the only option.<p>

"Mr. Malfoy," the nurse greeted him.

He gave her a nod of his head. "I've decided."

"Oh. And?"

"I'm going to take her off of life support." The decision still made his chest burn.

"Very well. We'll take her off tonight and it depends how long it will take for her to go."

Draco gave her another nod of his head. "May I go stay with her?"

"Yes. If you want others to come and say their goodbyes, this would be the time."

"Thank you," he said as he walked into the room.

Draco moved automatically to the chair and sat down. He took her hand and rubbed the back of it with the pad of his thumb.

"I don't blame you. I can't blame you. I don't want to do this. I want you back, but I can't always get what I want. I've known that for a long time now and that's because of you. You've always been such a feisty thing since the moment I've met you. You were lovely too, no matter how much I teased you, you were always lovely. And you're still lovely. I love you and I will be here the whole time. I'm never going to leave your side."

Hours later, several nurses came in to take her off of her support. Draco watched with bated breath as they did it. Draco continued to rub her hand with his thumb. Her friends had come in a few hours ago to say their goodbyes. Draco left the room so that they could have some privacy with her. He knew that if he stayed in there it would tear him apart.

He was losing her minute by minute as he held her hand. It was surreal watching someone you love die. It always felt like you never had enough time with them. The whole time Draco did not cry. He had cried enough over the last few years. Draco knew this was the right choice. It had been the hardest decision of his life, but he would do anything to help her. And instead of letting her die on her own hooked to machines and him being selfish, he'd let her go.

But she would never leave him. She would always be there with him everywhere he went, especially when he looked at Caelum's eyes. She'd still be alive even when he couldn't physically see or talk to her anymore.

Hermione lasted three days on her own. Draco knew she was a fighter. She knew she would hang on for as long as she could. And he kept his promise. He stayed by her side when she took her last breath.

"I love you," he told her as he kissed her like the first day in the hospital. "And thank you for changing my life."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>And done! It took me a long time to finish this. I hope you liked it.


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